About
York's Chocolate Story is an immersive guided tour experience celebrating the city's extraordinary 250-year heritage as one of the world's great chocolate-making centres. York was home to three of the most influential chocolate dynasties in British history — the Rowntrees, the Terrys, and the Craven family — whose innovations transformed chocolate from a luxury drink for the wealthy into the mass-market confection loved by millions. This remarkable concentration of chocolate manufacturing in a single northern city was no accident: York's Quaker business community, access to railway networks, and skilled labour force combined to make it a powerhouse of the Victorian and Edwardian sweet trade.
The tour follows the full arc of York's chocolate story, from the earliest cocoa houses of the 18th century through the philanthropic factory villages built by the Rowntree and Terry families for their workers, to the invention of iconic products that remain household names today. Visitors discover how Joseph Rowntree pioneered workers' rights and social welfare alongside chocolate production, building the model village of New Earswick for his employees. Terry's Chocolate Orange, Rowntree's Kit Kat, Smarties, Polo mints, and After Eight — all were developed in York, and the tour brings their creation stories vividly to life.
The experience combines theatrical storytelling with hands-on chocolate-making demonstrations. A skilled chocolatier guides visitors through the art of chocolate making, and every guest gets to create and take home their own personalised chocolate lolly. The tour culminates in a tasting session where visitors sample chocolates inspired by the historic recipes of York's great confectionery houses. Interactive displays, period artefacts, original machinery, and archive film footage bring the industrial heritage to life in ways that appeal equally to adults and children.
Located in the heart of York city centre at King's Square, York's Chocolate Story is an ideal complement to the city's other historic attractions and a must-visit for anyone interested in social history, industrial heritage, or simply the story of how chocolate became Britain's favourite treat. The experience typically lasts around 75 minutes and includes multiple tasting opportunities throughout.
Categories:
Annual Visitors (2019)
120,000
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Busiest: Saturday, Sunday
💡 Weekday morning sessions outside school holidays for a quieter experience
💡 Visitor Tips
- Book tickets in advance online to guarantee your preferred tour time, especially during school holidays, weekends, and the busy Christmas period when sessions fill up quickly.
- Arrive 10-15 minutes before your tour time to allow for check-in, as tours depart promptly and latecomers may not be admitted to the group.
- Wear clothes you don't mind getting a little chocolatey — the chocolate-making demonstration and lolly-making activity involve handling molten chocolate.
- Combine your visit with JORVIK Viking Centre nearby for a full day of York's layered history — both attractions are within a few minutes' walk of each other.
- The tour is suitable for children from around age 4 upwards and particularly popular with families. Under-4s go free and will enjoy the tasting elements even if the historical narrative is beyond them.
- The chocolate shop at the end of the tour stocks artisan York chocolates that make excellent gifts — budget some time and money for browsing after your tour.
- York's city centre is best explored on foot. The attraction is an easy walk from York railway station and is surrounded by the city's historic sights.
- If you're visiting in December, look out for special Christmas chocolate-making events and themed tour variations that celebrate the seasonal confectionery traditions of York's great chocolate houses.
Highlights
The Rowntree Dynasty
Explore the remarkable story of Joseph Rowntree and his family, who transformed a small York cocoa business into one of the world's most famous confectionery companies. The Rowntrees were Quakers who believed that business success came with social responsibility, and they pioneered workers' rights, pension schemes, and affordable housing long before such provisions became legal requirements.
The tour reveals how their philanthropic values shaped not only their workforce but the entire city of York, including the model village of New Earswick built for their employees in the early 20th century.
The Birth of Kit Kat
Discover the fascinating story behind one of Britain's most beloved chocolate bars. The Kit Kat was launched by Rowntree's in 1935, initially as a four-finger wafer bar priced to be affordable for working-class consumers during the Depression. The tour traces its evolution from a modest confection to a global icon sold in more than 70 countries, and reveals the wartime period when milk shortages forced Rowntree's to reformulate the recipe and change the wrapper from red to blue.
York's connection to Kit Kat remains a source of immense local pride.
Terry's Chocolate Orange
Uncover the history of Terry's of York, founded in 1767 as a confectionery and wine business before becoming synonymous with the iconic Chocolate Orange — first produced in 1932. The tour explores how Terry's Moonshine (as it was originally called) was rebranded and became one of the most recognisable seasonal treats in Britain.
The atmospheric Clementhorpe factory building, now converted to apartments, is glimpsed in archive photographs and film footage that bring the heyday of York's second great chocolate dynasty back to vivid life.
Chocolate-Making Demonstration
A highlight of every visit, the live chocolate-making demonstration puts visitors in the hands of a skilled chocolatier who explains the science and artistry behind transforming cocoa beans into the finished confection. Guests learn about tempering, moulding, and flavouring techniques that trace their origins to the Victorian era, and watch as the chocolatier crafts examples using traditional and modern methods.
The demonstration makes abstract concepts of industrial food production tangible and accessible for visitors of all ages, and forms a natural bridge between York's historic chocolate heritage and the pleasure of eating it.
Collections
York's Chocolate Story is primarily an immersive experience venue rather than a traditional museum collection, but the attraction incorporates original artefacts, archive materials, period machinery, and historic packaging from York's chocolate manufacturing heritage. The Rowntree archive at the University of York's Borthwick Institute for Archives provides scholarly resources that inform the narrative presented in the tour.
Displays include original product packaging, advertising posters, factory equipment, and documentary materials illustrating the social history of chocolate manufacture in York from the 18th century to the present day.
York's Chocolate Story Guided Tour
The immersive guided tour experience forms the core of the attraction, leading visitors through the complete 250-year history of chocolate making in York. The tour uses theatrical storytelling, original artefacts, period settings, and interactive demonstrations to bring the heritage of the Rowntree, Terry's and Craven confectionery dynasties to life.
📍 All floors
The Chocolate Shop
A comprehensive chocolate retail space featuring artisan York chocolates, heritage brands, gifts, and souvenirs. The shop carries a curated selection of chocolates made by York's contemporary craft chocolate makers alongside iconic heritage products.
📍 Ground floor
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.